By Janie Frank

Published 2:21 pm, Tuesday, July 1, 2014

What do jump ropes, rubber ducks, and gift cards have in common? It may sound like the beginning to a bad joke, but the answer may surprise you — all three are part of efforts to support heart health in the Capital Region.

Since 2013, CapCom Federal Credit Union has worked alongside the American Heart Association to encourage students in the area to raise money and get healthy. This year, CapCom paired with nine elementary schools in the area who participated in the Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart competition by giving each one a $250 gift certificate to use towards each school's physical education budget.

"They initiated it 12 years ago," he said. "I just jumped on board and helped them out with it."

Nearly four years later, Lanni was personally affected by a heart issue when his 18-year-old daughter came home from her first year of college for a checkup with a new doctor.

"The doctor wanted to know how come it was never reported that she had a heart murmur," he said. "Three months later, she got a pacemaker over in Boston."

Suddenly, the Heart Association was a big part of Lanni's life.

"We've become very, very involved for personal reasons," he said.

Four years ago, Jeffrey Masline, the Heart Association's senior director of youth markets, asked Lanni to get some of the other South Colonie schools involved.

"I just approached everybody at a meeting and they were very, very open to it," Lanni said, "We've done very well as a district over the last four years, and it's become a big part of the curriculum for us."

Masline said the funds raised by Jump Rope for Heart rose nearly 40 percent this year.

"Last year was about $300,000 in the local regions, and this year will be about $415,000," he said.

In order to encourage the children, small prizes were awarded for dollar amounts earned.

"I feel anytime you give a kid an incentive, it's going to get them excited," said gym teacher Jeremy Eggleston from Saddlewood Elementary.

Although the top three earners from each school received gift cards to Dick's Sporting Goods, one of the most popular of the incentives were some small rubber ducks that could attach to a lanyard. Kids who raised at least $5 got ducks.

"They all wanted it. Just a stupid little rubber ducky, but they loved it," Eggleston said. His school raised close to $4,000, double last year's amount. "I don't know what it was about those duckies, but they helped."

Mike Palmer, a gym teacher at Roessleville Elementary, explained that the prizes weren't the only reason the children got involved and made donations to the American Heart Assocation.

"They would say, 'Coach, I found this under my couch,' and 'Coach, I got this out of my piggybank,' " Palmer said. "There were kids who gave 92 cents, $1.72, $3.05. They didn't win anything, they just gave."